Washing-machine.



H. A. BURLEY.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION men JAN. 16. 1911.

Patented. Nov. 20; 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET WITNESSES f fi/ww I? TTORIVEYS H. A. BURLEY.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-16, 1917' WITNESSES v A TTOR/VEYS HENRY A.BURLIEY, OE MILWAUKIE, OREGON.

WASHING-MACHENE;

Specificationof Letters Patent.

PatentedNov. 26), 191?.

Application filed January 16, 1917. Serial No. 142,613.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that 1,.HENRY A. BURLEY, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukie, in the countyof Clackam'as and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in VVashing- Machines, of which the following is aspecifloatiom My invention relates to washing machines, and the main;object thereof is to provide means for agitating or pounding articlesbeing washed automatically actuated by the generation of steam in theapparatus; another object is to provide a safety, device which directsexcess steam into the clothes receptacle; another object is to provideadjustable means for automatically controlling the distance of movementof the pounder; and. another object is to provide a float valve in thepounder operating means to prevent the entrance of air into said meanswhen raised to its upward limit.

My invention is fully described in the following specification, of whichthe accompanying drawings form a part, in whichlike characters refer tolike parts in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a centralvertical section taken through a preferred embodiment of my invention,on the line 11 of Fig. 3;

Fig.2 is an. end elevation thereof, from the left hand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a topiplan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 1i of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is asection taken on the line 5-5 of. Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a detached view of a lever which I employ. v

Referring to the drawings, 7 represents a boiler of the usual householdtype, although not limited thereto, having a horizontal partition 8forming compartments 9 and 10, said partition preferably consisting oftwo metal plates having an asbestos sheettherebetween, the uppercompartment .9 being for the reception of the articles to be washed andthe lower compartment 10 being the steam generator and having a waterinlet pipe 11 leading thereinto and extended above theboiler 7, andhaving a. steam outlet 12 open at all times.

The top of the inlet pipe 11 has a conical casing 13 thereon providedwith a spout 14; directed into the boiler 7. and. capped by a fillerfunnel 15 leading downward intoithe casiing 13 adjacent the port 16connecting the casing and spout, a valve 17. being provided in thebottom of the casing'adapted, understeam: pressure to rise and closethelower end of the funnel and thus prevent the escape of steam through thelatter whereby a person. might be scalded, as in pouring water into thefunnel when thecompartment 10 is entirely or nearly empty so form havinga tube 20 arranged at one side thereof closed at its top and open at itsbottom for the reception of a. pipe 21 leading from the steam outlet 12.of the generator compartment 10,-. this constructionpermittingfreeiverticalmovement of the float while preventing the escapeof the pipe 21 from the tube 20 and,.in. a measure, guiding thefiOflt-hll ll its vertical movements. Said float has a centrallyarranged exhaust pipe 22 leading therethrough capped by a bell 23 andthe lower end of? which pipe 22 extends a considerable distance belowthe float for a reasonto be explained,and a pressure vent tube 2.4: alsoextends through the float closely adjacentthe pipe 22.

Surrounding the':lowen ends of the pipe 22 and tube 24 is a dependentflange 25 having a spider connection; with a cup26 provided with a port27 in its bottom adapted to be closed. by a cork valve28 held in a cage29, said valve being preferably inclosed in a light metal. sheathing tomaintain its shape under pressure. The float 19 is provided with legsshown as a dependent flange 30 to limit downwardifloat movement, and Imay also provide an air-vent 31 at the top of the float.

Secured to the boiler 7 and container 18 is a shelf 32 having bearingsthereon for a shaft 33- upon which are secured two arms 34 and 35, theformer leading directly over the center of the float 1.9 and resting ina saddle 36. and the latter being extended over the boiler 7, said armsbeing simultaneously moved in the rocking of the shaft 33, and the outerend of the arm 35 isslotted at 37.

Arranged above the boiler 7 and preferably detachable therefrom is aframe 38, serving as a guide for a vertically movable bar 39 carrying aplunger 40 at its lower end and which, in turn, is provided with pins41, a coil spring 42 tending to maintain said plunger in lowermostposition, and a plate 43 is provided in the bottom of the compartment 9to take the impact of the plunger hereinafter referred to as thepounder.

Detachably held in the slot 37 of the arm 35 is a lever 44 provided witha slot 45 through which the bar 39 is passed, and in which it isnormally slidable, said lever being bent so that upward strain on thearm 46 of the lever will cause the slotted portion to bind against thebar 39 to raise the latter with said lever, a counterweight 47 beingprovided to assist in this bar arrangement.

Adjustablymounted on the frame 38 is a trip 48 arranged in the path ofmovement of the lever arm 46 when carried upwardly by the slotted arm 35in the rocking of the shaft 33 by the upward movementof the float 19and, when the lever arm 46 strikes the trip, the slotted portion of thelever 44 is carried upwardly until the binding engagement with the bar39 isovercome and the latter is forced downwardly by the spring 42, thelever 44 sliding freely downward in thedownward movement of the slottedarm 35- due to the lowering of the float l9 and, if desired, thisdownward float movement maybe made positive by means of a coil spring49.

In practice, the frame 38 is removed from the boiler to remove thepounder 40, the lever arm 46 being readily detached from the slotted arm35 to permit this, after which the articles to be washedare placed inthe boiler on the false bottom 43 and the pounder and frame 38 arereturned to normal positions with the lever arm 46 again engaged by theslotted arm-35. v

WVater is now poured into the funnel 15 and float container 18, and sudsplaced in the clothes compartment 9, the machine being already inposition over a source of heat or it may now be placed thereover, withthe result that steam is generated in the compartment 10 and passes tothe tube 20 and thence to the under side of the float 19 to raise thelatter until the lower end of the exhaust 22 is raised above the waterlevel in the container 18 at which time the steam rushes out of themachine and, the pressure within the compartment 10 being new reduced,the float 19 returns to lowered position either by gravity or,ifprovided, by means of the spring 49.

This upward float movement rocks the shaft 33 and thus causes theslotted arm 35 to rock the lever 44 to bind against the bar 39 andthereby lift the pounder 40 until the trip'48 releases the said bar andpounder made.

to permit the latter to drop and thereby cal exhaust and my machinetakes advantage of this variation of pressure, the machine working withall the regularity of a steam engine as long as water and heat aresupplied.

It will be obvious that, when the float is at its upper limit ofmovement, air might pass through the port 27 which is then above thewater level but, the valve 28 be ing a float,'said port is closedalthough it permits the escape of water from the cup in the upwardmovement thereof with the float, and itis important that the clearancebetween the end of the exhaust pipe'and the bottom of the cup besufficient to allow the steam free passage up. said pipe before the cupis quite empty of water, as the sheet of water betweenpreventsdisplacement of the valve by the siphon effect of the steam inits rush up the exhaust pipe. of the cup is preferably rounded slightlydownward to the valve to give-quick clear- The bottom ance of the end ofthe pipe by reason of the bottom of the cup.

The pressure vent tube 24 and-the'flange 25 are very important featuresof the float inasmuch as when the float is down the water closesthe endof the exhaustpipe and, the steam outletbeing thus closed, the

float has a tendency to rise before the valve cup fills enough to raisethe water level in the exhaust pipe to correspond with the water levelinthe float container which is nearly to top of float When the machine is'workingunder full load,andif the water is all taken out'of the cupbefore the float is raised the steam blows out and no stroke is Theflange 25 is set to project downward to the level of the cup 26 orslightly below the same and, when the float sinks low enough for thewater to run over the top of said cup, the flange 25 also reaches thewater level from above and shuts off the connection between the cupand'the steam chamber surrounding-the flange 25. The pressure vent 24then allows the pressure within the cup to fall to much less than thepressure in said steam chamber and, as the pressure gradually rises forthe next stroke of the float, the water is forced inover the top of thecup 26 to immediately fill the samepand forms a water seal for theexhaust pipe 22 until the float has risen suficiently high to raise thelower end of the pipe 22 above the water level. The pounder 40 has beenraised 1n thls upward float movement and the steam reduced'amount ofwater contained in the is exhausted through the pipe 22 permitting thefloat to again fall, the valve 28 preventing the entry of water into thecup 26 in this downward float movement but, when the water seal is againformed by the steam pressure forcing water over the top of said cup,said float is again forced upwardly, the water escaping from the cup insuch upward float movement.

At 50 I have shown a lead for the water from the container it forced toohigh there in, this excess water passing into the boiler compartment 9,and I prefer to provide a heat insulating inclosure for the saidcontainer, the heat insulating partition 8 preventing overheating of thewater and suds in the compartment 9.

lVhile I have shown an entirely operative structure, it will be obviousthat many changes in the details may be made, provided such changes donot depart from the spirit of the invention, and come within the scopeof the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A washing machine, comprising a vessel, a heat insulating partitiontherein dividing the same into an upper clothes compartment and a lowersteam generating compartment, a pounder in said clothes compartment,means exteriorly of the clothes compartment and operable by thegenerated steam to intermittently move said pounder in one direction,and means for moving said pounder in the other direction into normalposition.

2. A washing machine, comprising a vessel divided into a clothescompartment and a steam generating compartment, a clothes pounder insaid clothes compartment, means exteriorly of the clothes compartmentand steam generating compartment operable by the generated steam forintermittently raising said pounder, and means operated by said exteriormeans to permit lowering said pounder after each raising operation.

3. A washing machine, comprising a vessel divided into a clothescompartment and a steam genera-ting compartment, a clothes pounder insaid clothes compartment, a vertical bar thereon, a slotted leverthereon adapted to engage the same when said lever is raised and torelease the same when said lever is lowered, means operable by thegenerated steam for intermittently raising said lever and engaged bar,means for adjustably depressing said lever to release said bar, andmeans for returning said bar and connected pounder to lower positionafter such release.

4. A washing machine comprising a vessel divided into a clothescompartment and a steam generating compartment, a clothes pounder insaid clothes compartment, a float container connected with said steamcompartment, a float in said container, adapted to be raised and loweredby variations of pressure in said steam compartment, clutch meansoperably connecting said float and the clothes pounder, and means foractuating said clutch to release the pounder at a predetermined heightof the float.

.5. A washing machine, comprising a vessel divided into a clothescompartment and a steam generating compartment, a clothes pounder insaid clothes compartment, a float container connected with said steamgenerating compartment, a float in said container, said float beingadapted to be raised and lowered by variation of pressure in said steamgenerating compartment, and means for suddenly exhausting said steamwhen said float has reached a predetermined height, said float beingoperatively connected with said pounder.

6. A washing machine, comprising a vessel divided into a clothescompartment and a steam generating compartment, a clothes pounder insaid clothes compartment, a float container connected with said steamgenerating compartment, a float therein in operative connection withsaid pounder and adapted to be raised by steam pressure there under, anexhaust pipe in said float, and a water seal for the lower end thereofrendered inoperative when said float has reached a predetermined heightto permit the lowering of the steam pressure through said exhaust pipe.

7. A washing machine, comprising a vessel divided into a clothescompartment and a steam generating compartment, a clothes pounder insaid clothes compartment, a float container connected with said steamgenerating compartment, a float in said container in operativeengagement with said pounder and adapted to be raised by steam pressurethereunder, an exhaust pipe passed through said float and extended apredetermined distance below the same, said container having watertherein into which said exhaust pipe may extend, a cup surrounding thelower end of said exhaust pipe, below the bottom of said float, having aport in its bottom, a caged float valve for said port, and a flange onthe bottom of said float, surrounding said exhaust pipe and cup, andextending downwardly approximately to the top of said cup.

8. A washing machine, comprising a. vessel divided into a clothescompartment and a steam generating compartment, a clothes pounder insaid clothes compartment, a float container connected with said steamgenerating compartment, a float in said container normally held abovethe level of the water in said container, in operative connection withsaid pounder, and adapted to be raised by steam pressure thereunder, anexhaust pipe passed through said float and extending a predetermineddistance below said float, and a pressure vent pipe passed through a cupsurrounding the lower end of said pipe said float having its lower openend Within With its top below said float and ported in said flange.

, its bottom, a float Valve for said port, a de- HENRY A. BURLEY.pendent flange on the bottom of said float Witnesses: surrounding saidcup and extended doWn- J J. OEDER,

Wardly to approximately the top of said cup, SAM ROWE.

Copies of this .patent may be obtained for five eents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents? Washington, D. G.

